To Go Forward
by thatxonexguy
Summary: A young writer, trying to find a good topic for his next story, stumbles upon a time machine that takes him to the Ice Age. He may find more than just a story while he is there, though. Rated T because I want to be cautious.
1. Chapter 1

_**To **__**Go **__**Forward**_

**Hey ****guys****! ****This ****is ****my ****first ****fan ****fiction****, ****so ****try ****to ****keep ****the ****reviews ****constructive****. ****Since ****this ****is ****my ****first ****work****, ****I ****know ****it ****will ****more ****than ****likely ****contain ****some ****mistakes****. ****However****, ****I ****hope ****you ****still ****enjoy ****the ****story****!**

**Disclaimer****: ****I ****do ****not ****own ****Ice ****Age ****or ****any ****of ****its ****characters****. ****I ****only ****own ****my ****OC****'****s****. **

Chapter One

"THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING, HENRY! EITHER YOU DO THE JOB RIGHT, OR YOU LOSE IT!" my boss yelled from across my desk. I am so sick of this stupid summer job. I took it so I could get experience as a writer before I went off to college in a few months. However, I did not know how hard it was to constantly find new things to write about. I wish I could just go somewhere where I can be inspired to write anytime I wanted.

"Yes sir, I will have an article ready to publish by next week," I finally murmured. "You better," he said, "or else you can find somewhere else to work. Oh, and by the way, the readers better enjoy your article this time, unlike the last ones they had to suffer to read through." With that, he walked away.

As I walked home, I considered all the possible things I could write about. All I had to do was write a fictional story for the website by next week. I really need to keep this internship so I could buff up my resume.

"Hey," whispered a voice behind the bushes where I was at. "What is it, Mr. Howard?" I asked. I am so sick of my weird neighbor coming up to me to try his strange new gadgets. "If you want me to try out another one of your 'blenders' that tend to almost kill me, I will have to decline." I said, continuing to walk past him. "No, well, not today anyway," he said. "I have invented an even better machine.

"Oh, have you advanced your way up to ovens already?" I said sarcastically. "Try time machine," he said flatly.

I stopped. "Time machine? Seriously? Even if you actually managed to make that, wouldn't that cause all kinds of problems to the timeline and whatnot?" I said. "Nope," he stated. "If the user makes a change to the environment, he creates a new timeline where the said change exists. The previous timeline is not actually affected.

"How do you even know that is what really happens?" I said skeptically. "Because I tested it. I went back in time to stop a car wreck that happened awhile back. When I came returned to the present time, the wreck still occurred." Howard replied.

"So what do you propose?" I said. "As you may know, I have no family of my own," he responded. "I don't really have anyone to share my invention with. So that is why I come to ask you a simple question. Would you like to travel through time?"

I stood there in shock. Time travel? This is something from some science fiction, but in reality. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it out. I need to find a topic for an article anyway," I said. "That's the spirit!" Howard exclaimed. "So of all places and time settings you could go to, where would you go?" I thought for a moment, and then I realized exactly where I wanted to go.

"How about the Ice Age?"

-End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer****: ****I ****do ****not ****own ****Ice ****Age ****or ****any ****of ****its ****characters****. ****I ****only ****own ****my ****OC****'****s****.**

**Chapter**** 2**

Howard gave me some time to prepare for my expedition. I gathered everything I could think of to help me survive my three day adventure. I grabbed some canned food, a few bottles water, an extra change of warm clothes, a first aid kit, and a machete that my grandfather had given to me. I didn't know what I would find there, so I thought having some type of weapon would be wise. I also brought my notebook and a few pens so I could take notes on what I may find. After fitting everything in my backpack and having my machete sheathed by my side, I was ready to start my journey into the unknown.

Howard gave me some type of watch that I was supposed to keep on me at all times. "If you lose this," he said. "I will have no way of bringing you back to the present. When I turn on the machine, you will have exactly 72 hours before I summon you back. So try not to die in the next three days," he said with a grin. "At least I would be the first man to literally die living in the past," I replied.

"Alright," he said. "I am seeing that all systems are green. We are ready to start." He then turned to me. "Good luck out there," He said softly. "I hope you will have more luck finding whatever you are looking for than I did." With that being said, he flipped the switch, causing the machine to activate. The last thing I remember was seeing a blinding light disable my vision and my thoughts.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As I woke up, I realized I was surrounded by snow. I guess that should be expected, but the freezing cold was something that my skin was not accustomed to. Thankfully, I was dressed in several layers of clothing so it shouldn't be a big deal. However, I suppose the bigger problem is to figure out what to do for the next three days. So, I decided to just walk forward till I found something interesting enough to write about and a suitable place to set up a campsite. It didn't take me long till I found a group of saber-tooth tigers surrounding a lone saber against a snow covered wall.

"Nowhere to run, Diego," a saber said.

Wait a second, did that animal just talk? I wonder if one of time travel's side effects is mild delusions. "After years of tracking you down, we finally have you cornered," the saber stated evilly. "Let's just kill him now!" exclaimed a smaller tiger. "No," replied the other saber, "We must wait till Soto arrives. He wants to finish the job personally."

As if on cue, another saber who appeared to be the pack's alpha, came up to the group with a look of vengeance in his eyes. "So," started the saber I assumed was Soto, "it is true. We finally found the traitor who denied me my revenge against the humans. Not only did you fail to give me the human baby, you betrayed your pack to be with a group of herbivores! Do you even know how bad your little stunt damaged my pride? Or how embarrassing it was for me to be fed food that I didn't kill myself due to my injuries from those icicles? Oh that's right, you don't care, because you left our pack for some dumb plant eaters!" he shouted.

"Well," the saber continued after a pause, "at least some good has come from this. At least I will be able to kill you no-" The saber stopped talking, then he suddenly started sniffing. "Do you smell that?" Soto said. "Sorry, boss," muttered the smaller saber. "Not that, you idiot," Soto said out of annoyance. "It smells like a... human," Soto responded with anger in his voice. "Yeah, I smell it, too. It seems to be coming from that direction" said another saber, pointing in my direction. "Oscar, Lenny," Soto said. "Go check out the area."

Crap.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age or any of its characters. I only own my OC's. **

**Chapter 3**

There is no way I can take on all these sabers by myself. Maybe I could convince them into not devouring my insides, or maybe I could try scaring them off somehow. Either way, it would be a miracle if either one worked, probably.

I guess I should show myself before they try and surround me. I walked out from behind the bush I was hiding behind and walked towards them. "Um, hello," I said nervously. "I was just passing through the area and-"

"Wait, did that human just talk?" one saber asked. "I didn't think they could, at least we were never able to understand them," the other saber responded.

"Maybe this human is different, maybe he won't attack us."

"Yeah, maybe he can-"

"Enough!" Soto shouted. "I don't care if the human can talk to rocks. His kind killed half our pack, which we are now just recovering from it. We cannot let him live for their sake."

"Okay, for one," I finally said, "if I was going to attack you, don't you think I would have done it by now? Secondly, I do not think it would be smart of you to attack a human who has this." I said, drawing out my got a couple of gasps out of some of the sabres. Maybe I was getting somewhere here.

"Listen, human," Soto said. "I don't know who you think you are, but I am Soto, the great saber-tooth." "Well, obviously you can't be that great if one of your own betrayed you for a herd of herbivores," I said, pointing to the one they called Diego.

"YOU DARE INSULT ME, HUMAN?" Soto roared, baring his teeth. I must admit, I felt intimidated, but I couldn't back down at this point.

"Listen, pussycat," I said, "I am wanting to set up camp here. How about you get out of here before I starting hurting people." "You really think I will just leave after you insulted me in front of my pack?" Soto replied. I was hoping he would anyway. I guess it is time for Plan B. I drew my sword and put it right up to the saber's nose. "That wasn't a suggestion," I said flatly.

I could tell he was staring daggers into me past the sword. Fortunately, that was the closest he came to an attack. "All troops, retreat. We will deal with the traitor later," Soto finally said. "But you should listen to me well, human. If I ever find you again, you will wish I would have killed you today." "Noted," I said.

With that, the pack of sabers left the site in a matter of seconds. I heard a groan behind me. That must be the saber Soto was about to kill. In any case, if what Soto said was true about Diego's actions, I may have found my topic for the article.

As I got closer to the saber, I could tell he was badly wounded. He had several cuts on his body, especially one large gash on his right side. I was so surprised that he was still standing, even if he was leaning against a wall.

"Diego, right?" I said. "Yeah," he said weakly. "You are pretty banged up; come over here and let me see what I can do," I said as I opened up my first aid kit. "Alright," I said. "I am going to try to clean those cuts so you don't get an infection." He was still bleeding from the larger gash, which had me pretty worried. "This will sting a little," I said as I began cleaning his wounds. Surprisingly, he only slightly tensed at the application of the alcohol. "I'm guessing you are in a bit of pain," I said, trying to break the silence. "About as much as you would expect when you are beaten half to death by a pack of sabers," he moaned. "Well, I'm not sure these painkillers are safe to use on tigers," I said. "I don't care, if they can ease the pain, give them to me," he said eagerly. Not wanting to anger the already wounded animal, I complied with his request.

I did my best to wrap the larger gash with the adhesive tape with gauze pads over the wounds. It may not have been professionally done by a doctor, but I guess my treatment was better than nothing. "All done," I said, giving him a pat on the back, which caused him to growl in pain. "Oh, sorry," I said with a sheepish smile.

I began making a fire in a cave that was nearby while Diego rested. Luckily, I thought of bringing matches for the trip. "You know, those fire sticks are more impressive than Sid hitting two rocks together." Diego said smiling. "Who's Sid?" I asked. "Well, he is part of the herd I'm in," Diego replied. "I remember hearing Soto mention that," I said. "What is the deal with you and this herd, anyway?" "I'll tell you what, I am about to pass out from exhaustion. If I somehow manage to live till tomorrow morning, I will tell you the whole story," he said.

_ Jackpot. _

"Deal."

-End of Chapter Three

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you take the time to review! Till Chapter 4...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age or any of its characters. I only own my OC's. **

**Chapter 4**

I woke up the next morning to see a beautiful sunrise lighting up the entire valley. One doesn't see that kind of gorgeous site in the city. Things seemed so peaceful here; there are no noisy cars, loud machines, or booming speakers playing terrible music. This was nature at its finest. _I only have about 54 hours of time here, _I reminded myself. I sat down right outside the cave and began to write about what all has happened to me thus far. _This story shows promise, _I thought to myself. _Still, I am going to need more material if I want to write a decent story. _

After about an hour of my writing, I heard Diego finally wake up. Slowly, but surely, he finally made his way to where I was sitting. I could notice he was still pretty wounded from yesterday, but as long as I change his bandages and keep his cuts clean, he should have a speedy recovery.

"Sleep well?" I asked. "Decent, considering." He mumbled. "If I recall correctly, you said that I got to hear about your past if you woke up this morning," I reminded. "Yeah, and I plan on keeping that promise," Diego replied, "but first, I was thinking about getting some breakfast before telling that long story."

_ Of course it wouldn't be that easy. _

"Ready to go out for a hunt?" he asked.

_ Great, I don't even know how to hunt, and I'm expected to somehow kill something my first try at it? _

"Well," I responded, "with your injuries, I don't know how well this will go." "Agreed," he said. "That's why I'm expecting you to do most of the work."

_ Perfect. _I thought to myself sarcastically.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As we set off to hunt a nearby antelope herd, my mind raced trying to think of a way to hunt the animals. Every idea I could think of involved a gun, which I currently did not possess. The best thing I could come up with was to somehow attack one with my machete. It was a long shot, but what else was I to do?

"Alright," Diego whispered, "there's one," he said, pointing at a lone antelope about fifty feet away. "It seems like an easy kill; I'll let you do the honors." "Thanks," I responded grimly.

Carefully maneuvering myself through the tall grass, I got up as close as I could get to grazing herbivore. Apparently, it sensed my coming before I was in striking distance. As it turned to run away, I instinctively threw my sword at the spooked animal. Out of pure chance, the handle struck it in the head, causing him to fall unconscious. "That's one way of doing it, I guess." Diego said, just as shocked as I was.

As we hauled the now dead antelope back to the cave, I grew hungry myself. I still wasn't sure how antelope would taste, but the food rations I brought wouldn't last me two more days, so I guess I don't have much of a choice. Fortunately, I do know how to prepare beef and pork for cooking, so it shouldn't be much different.

As we both ate our share, I decided to break the silence. "So," I said. "that Soto guy seemed like a piece of work." "Trust me," Diego replied, "You don't know the half of it. I have to admit though, he would have probably killed me if you weren't there. Thanks for that, by the way" "No problem, it seems like he needed to be notch anyway," I said, causing Diego to chuckle.

"Well, I think it is finally time to hear about this herd of yours," I said after a pause. Diego didn't look too happy about me bringing that up again. "You really seem interested in that story," he responded in annoyance. "Let's just say this story could help me out, big time." I said, trying to sound vague. "Fair enough, well I guess it all started back-"

Diego was cut off by the sound of large stomps coming from outside the cave. What I saw approaching took me by surprise. I could make out three mammoths, two possums, and what looked like a sloth. "Diego! There you are! We have been looking everywhere for-" the male mammoth stopped mid-sentence as his gaze fell upon me. The longer he stared, the more angry he seemed to get. Finally, he charged towards me, grabbing me with his trunk, and slammed me against the cave wall.

"Why can't your kind just leave me alone!" the mammoth screamed, tightening his grip around me.

_ Well, so much for getting that story._

**Note: Thanks for the positive reviews so far guys! To be honest, I am not sure how many chapters will be in this story since I am running out of ideas. If you have one, send me a PM or a review telling me what you think should happen later on in the story.**

**See you in Chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I was struggling to breath at this point. After what seemed like an eternity, the other older mammoth finally spoke up. "Manny! What are you doing? Just because he is a human doesn't mean he is dangerous." "You don't know that, Ellie!" the enraged mammoth exclaimed. "His kind killed my first family. I will NOT let that happen again."

"Manny, chill," Diego said calmly. "This guy is okay; if it wasn't for him, Soto and his pack would have killed me."

"Wait," Manny said, slightly loosening his tight grip, "Soto? I thought he was dead when we delivered Pinky back to his tribe."

"So did I," Diego responded, "but somehow he is back, with an even larger pack."

"I hate to break... up this little chat... but the human here is about... to get crushed to death," I was able to utter. After looking me in the eyes for one last moment, he finally released me. "What is with everyone in this time hating on humans?" I said, catching my breath.

"Sorry about that," the other adult mammoth apologized, "Manny can be a bit, overprotective." "I am not!" Manny cried. "If anything, I'm underprotective." Ellie simply rolled her eyes, "Anyway, I guess we didn't properly introduce ourselves when we arrived, Mr..." "Henry," I stated. "Just call me Henry."

"Well it's nice to meet you Henry. I'm Ellie, and Mr. Grumpy Fur here is my mate, Manny. This little ball of fur is our daughter, Peaches," she said, pointing to the teenage mammoth. "Mom! You're embarrassing me!" Peaches said. "Oh, honey, calm down," Ellie replied. "Anyway, this is Sid the sloth, these two guys are my half brothers, Crash and Eddie, and I see you have already met Diego.

"This is so awesome!" Crash exclaimed. "I know, this human can talk! I have so many questions!" Eddie added.

"As do I," I replied.

_Alright, the famous herd is finally together again. All I need to do is to get their story written down so I don't go back to the present empty handed._

"How about I ask you a question first, Henry," Manny said sternly.

"Sure," I responded.

"Why are you even here?"

_Great, I just met the herd and they want to know where I come from. Hopefully, I can gain their trust before I tell them I'm not from this time period. This won't be easy. _

"Well," I started, "I was passing through the area when I noticed a pack of sabers surrounding Diego, calling him a traitor or something. I was just wanting to pass through the area, but Soto detected that I was nearby. Fortunately, I was able to scare them off before things got ugly. I noticed Diego was badly injured, and I thought I'd do my best to patch him up to the best of my ability. Not long after is when the rest of you showed up."

"Sounds like you were just being a good samaritan," Manny sarcastically said.

"And we are grateful you were there when you were," Ellie finished, giving Manny a stern look.

"Well I am just glad I could help," I genuinely replied.

"I guess you will be on your way then," Manny said without hesitation.

_No! Not yet! I have to figure out how this crazy herd came to be before I go back. I have worked too hard to get nothing out of this! _

After thinking a moment for an excuse to stay, I finally came up with something:

"Actually, I was thinking on staying till Diego was back at 100%, or at least for a couple more days, anyway."

"No way-" Manny started, but Ellie soon butted in, "Are we not going to decide without discussing it first. Will you excuse us for a second?" I nodded, and the herd got out of hearing distance, at least they thought they were. It was pretty easy to hear what they were saying."

"There is no way I am letting a human join the herd!" Manny stormed. "You know what his kind did to my other family. I can't afford to lose you and Peaches like I did them."

Ellie's dark expression lightened up upon hearing that. "Manny, I know this is hard for you, but Diego needs Henry's medical attention. This is only temporary; after Diego is healed up, we can decide on what to do then."

"She is right, Manny," Diego chimed in, "I can barely walk, let alone hunt for myself. I would fill a lot better having someone more capable to defend the herd while I recover, especially since Soto's pack is still around." Manny thought for a moment, then finally let out a loud sigh. "Fine," he finally muttered.

As the herd returned to where I was, I tried to act like I wasn't eavesdropping. "Alright," Manny said, "you can stay with us for two more days, but after that, I want you gone.

_That will be more than enough time._

"Thanks, Manny," I responded. "I know you don't really trust humans, but I give you my word that I won't bring harm to your herd."

"Now that that's settled," Ellie said, "shall we rest here for the night?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As the herd got settled, I decided to check on Diego. "How are you holding up?" I asked. "I'm actually feeling a lot better, thanks to you," he replied. "Not only did you save my life from Soto's hand, but you have sped up my recovery from taking weeks to probably a few days. I don't really know how to repay you, but thanks."

I could tell he wasn't used to these kinds of touchy-feely moments, and neither am I for that matter, but it meant a lot that he would swallow his pride to thank me.

"Don't mention it," I said. "Hopefully if I'm ever surrounded by a dozen sabres and a lunatic leading the pack, somebody else will be stupid enough to intervene, too."

As I finished tending to Diego's wounds, I thought I would try again to get the story out of the herd. "I have to admit, you guys got quite the group here," I said, causing everyone to at least grin. "How did you guys even form this little herd, anyway?" "That is quite the story," Ellie said. "Manny, how about you tell it, since you were there at the beginning?"

_Finally! It took half of my time here, but I finally get to hear the story that could get my career going!_

Manny let out a sigh and opened his mouth to speak. "Well, about 15 years ago, I was all by myself. My family was recently killed by a group of humans, so I felt so alone when I had to start the migration south that year. After saving Sid from a pack of rhinos, he automatically thought we were best friends and wanted to travel with me. Reluctantly, I finally agreed.

After a while, we came across a woman who was dying on a bank of a river. As we approached her, she held out a baby that she was holding. As soon as we picked up the child, she was gone. We thought the best thing to do was to take the kid back to its tribe. Not long after that is when we met Diego, who said he would help track down the humans. However, Diego wasn't being a good samaritan like we originally thought."

Diego let out a sigh. I could tell he didn't feel like adding his point of view to the story, but he did anyway. "At the time, I was part of Soto's pack. Having half our pack killed by the humans, Soto wanted revenge by killing their leader's baby. As we ambushed the humans, my job was to bring the kid back alive so Soto could personally kill him. Before I could snatch the baby, his mother grabbed him and made a run for it. I eventually had her cornered at a waterfall, but then she did the unexpected. She took a leap of faith off the cliff, causing me to lose the child and favor with Soto. When I returned to him empty handed, he told me either I bring that kid back, or I would serve as its replacement."

"So, let me guess," I said. "You found Manny and Sid in possession of the kid and you planned an ambush for them before they reached the humans. Along the way, you must have bonded with them, causing you not to want to kill your new found friends" "Yeah," Diego said, "how did you know?" "I remember Soto saying that you betrayed the pack for a bunch of herbivores." I replied.

"After we returned the baby to his tribe," Manny continued, "we continued to migrate south. The next year is when the meltdown happened. We were racing against the clock as the valley that we were in was about to be flooded. Along the way, we found Crash and Eddie, and their 'sister' Ellie." "Sister?" I questioned. Ellie let out a chuckle as she explained how she was raised by possums as a child.

As they continued to discuss their travels, I noted how chaotic they were. I recall at one point they talked about a whole underground world filled with dinosaurs. I don't know what is more amazing, that they experienced all of this, or that they even survived it.

"Wow," I said in amazement. "You guys sure have had an adventurous life."

"Trust us, it isn't like we go out and seek the dangerous life; it always somehow finds us." Manny said.

"So what about you, Henry?" Ellie asked. "Surely you have had some amazing events in your life."

"Yeah, being a human must be totally awesome in itself!" Crash chimed in. With that being said, everyone turned to me in anticipation.

_Great, I can't tell them that I am from the future; they wouldn't understand, anyway. I'll have to make something up so they don't throw me out for being crazy. _

"Well," I began, "my life really isn't as exciting as yours, by any means. I grew up at a nearby village called the... Mighty... Tribe. Yeah, the Mighty Tribe." I said, trying to mask my lie. However, Manny seemed to pick up on my hesitation. "Mighty Tribe?" he speculated. "I have never heard of that village before." "Well, they are not from around this area. I am only here for, um, scouting purposes, trying to find new lands for my people to settle upon," I stammered. "My people live rather quiet lives; they do not as see much adventure as your herd has."

"In any case, I hope you find a place suitable enough for your people on your trip," Ellie said.

"Thanks," I replied. "Well if you guys don't mind, I think I will go ahead and hit the sack early tonight."

"Good idea," Diego said. "With Soto still around, I want to get an early start tomorrow to get some distance between us and his pack."

As everyone settled down to rest, I stayed awake till I was sure no one else was awake. I took my notebook and pen and quietly snuck out of the camp. As I began writing down the herds' incredible story, I heard a rustle from the bushes behind me.

"So we meet again, human."

**Note: Sorry for taking a bit longer with this chapter; I've been trying to make the rest of the story have longer chapters. I'll try to have the next one up in a few days.**

**See you in Chapter 6!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I didn't even have to turn around to realize who spoke to me. As I turned around, I could see that Soto and his pack was already circling my position. Not only did they catch me off guard, they also caught me without my trusty sword on me. I was completely defenceless.

"What do you want, Soto?" I asked, hoping this wouldn't end with my blood being spilled by the powerful saber. "Just what I have wanted the past fifteen years, revenge on your pathetic excuse of a species." "Then what are you waiting for?" I asked, somewhat regretting it as I did so.

"Your kind has made me lose half my pack, my health, and the loyalty of my pack. Diego sided with that herd and the humans when I almost had my revenge, but he made sure I didn't get it. He must also be here to suffer the same fate I want to bestow upon you. I will make you an offer human. If you help me ambush the herd, I will make your death quick and painless after you finish your task."

"And if I refuse?" "Then you will suffer a slow, pain filled death that will make you wish you were never born."

His arrogance made me want to spit at the very spot he was standing. Unfortunately, he had the upperhand in situation, so there wasn't much I could do as a defence. However, that doesn't mean I shouldn't go down fighting.

"So, what is your decision, human?" Soto said, grinning as he said so. In one swift movement, I kicked the saber across his face and turned to run, but I was immediately blocked by two more sabres. "I rather die than work for some crazy, oversized cat." I said, trying to find means of escape, but failing to do so. "Foolish move," Soto replied. "However, your wish will be granted. Prepare to suffer the consequences of your actions." Before I even had time to react, Soto slashed my left arm with his razor sharp claws. As I yelled in pain, Soto pinned me to the ground with little trouble. "Any last words, you pathetic excuse for an organism?" I took the moment to spit in the sabres face, hoping it would make him get off me. Instead, Soto roared in my face at the disrespectful gesture. At least he won't enjoy this moment like he wanted. Soto opened my his mouth and was about to go for my throat, when suddenly a new flash of orange knocked him off of me.

The next thing I saw was Diego and Soto locked in combat. Manny and Ellie had arrived, bashing any sabres that dared to attack them. Crash and Eddie were up in a nearby tree, bombarding the pack with small pebbles, effectively distracting the already confused sabers. Even Sid was there, throwing rocks at the cats, despite how inaccurate his aim may have been. Not long after the fight had started, Soto ordered a full retreat. "Enjoy this day while you are still alive. Soon, you will not be. Once I gather the rest of pack, you will wish you would have died on this night." Soto said before disappearing for into the dark forest.

The herd rejoiced at their victory. I had to hand it to them; what they lacked in being normal, they made up for in combat. "We did it!" Sid exclaimed. "We showed the nasty sabres that this herd is not to be messed with." "Thanks guys," I finally spoke. "Soto would have easily killed me if you didn't show up when... when you..." I couldn't keep talking. The blood loss from my arm was too much. "Henry!" I could faintly make out Diego's voice. "Hang on, we are going to help, just stay with me. Manny! We need to carry him to the cave. He needs treatment, now!"

I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker. Finally, I passed out before we reached the cave entrance.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_June 15, two weeks before first use of time machine: _"How is that article of yours coming along?" I asked, trying to get her mind off of things. "Better, now that the funeral is over and all," Sarah responded. "It has been rough the past weeks. You have been a true friend to me since we became friends in middle school. Thanks for being here with me during this difficult time. My mother always told me you were a keeper; I just wish she was still here."

I could see the tears form in her eyes. I hated seeing her like this; she was so pleasant on any other occasion. I was about to cry myself seeing her this heartbroken.

"Do you remember when we went on our first date and you wanted me to meet your parents for the first time before we left?" I finally said.

"Of course. My dad was raging about how 'no daughter of his will be dating anyone until she turned at least twenty-five." She chuckled. "My mom was quick to defend how you were a good Christian guy for me. After a while, my dad deflated, knowing she was right. She always wanted to know how our dates went after that. Even though she was almost ill from her sickness, she always remained positive. I miss her so much." She finished as she began to sob.

"You know you will see her again in heaven someday." I said trying to comfort her. "I know," she murmured, "but that doesn't erase the fact that her absence is still missed now." She turned to look at me, only to smile at my presence. "I know you hate when I get all touchy-feely like this, but I am glad you are here with me now."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," I whispered. "You and I have been through alot together; you are the love of my life. Remember that."

She cast her gaze into my own where I could tell she wanted to say the same, but she was overcome by emotion. All she was able to utter was 'I love you' before she burst into tears, crying into my shoulder.

In between her sobs, I could hear her whisper, "Please, don't ever leave me."

**Note: I hope you guys enjoy the story so far. Please leave a review, I would love to know what you guys like or dislike about it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

**See you in Chapter 7!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Ice Age or any of its characters. I only own my OC's.**

**Chapter 7**

I woke up to find I was laying beside the campfire from the night before. My arm was wrapped in some large leaves and some of my adhesive tape from my first aid kit. I'm guess they must have picked up on treating wounds from where I treated Diego. It may have looked like a five year old's attempt at wrapping a present, but I'm sure the treatment probably saved my life.

I looked around to see to see the herd standing around me with joyful faces upon seeing my awakening.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"For about 36 hours; you lost a lot of blood back at that confrontation with Soto. I'm surprised you are even awake at the moment." Ellie answered.

My mind raced as I began to remember how I ended up here. As my mind flooded with memories of the recent conflict, I looked down at my watch to see how much time I had left.

_One hour left…_

As I recalled Soto's threat, I realized that we were in the same cave that we were in the previous night. This was strange; I remember Manny talking about how we should be out of this valley by now if we would have kept a decent pace. Why were we still here?

"Why haven't we left the cave yet?" I asked out loud.

"Two reasons, actually." Diego answered. "For one, we thought you would recover quicker if you were able to rest on the ground than being carried on the back of either Manny or Ellie. Second, we thought we might be able to dispose of Soto's pack once and for all with your help."

"What do you mean, 'with my help?" I said in confusion.

"You mentioned earlier that your tribe was searching for new lands to settle upon, correct?" Manny asked for my conformation.

I simply nodded my head. I already knew where they were taking this, and I was praying that they wouldn't be asking for what I thought they were about to ask for. To my misfortune, they did.

"We were hoping that you could bring your tribe's warriors here and fight off Soto's pack," Manny continued. "Once they are dead, your people could settle in this valley, and we could be free from the pack's constant threat."

"And your tribe could use sabres' pelts as clothes!" Sid said with enthusiasm. I noticed that Diego shifted uncomfortably at the thought of his former comrades being used as mere coats. However, I was more concerned about breaking the truth to the herd at the moment. It was time to stop telling lies and speak the truth for once. The herd at least deserves that from me.

"Guys, I don't think that plan will work," I began. Everyone looked at me in surprise. I knew this wasn't going to go over well with tell them.

"I haven't been completely honest with you guys," I said. "I don't think my tribe will be willing to help fight Soto's pack because, well, they don't exist."

Everyone but Manny was had been taken back at my confession. "What do you mean, 'they don't exist?" Diego asked with accusation in his voice.

"I knew you couldn't be trusted," Manny said.

"Look," I began, "I'm sorry, I truely am. I am not from around here, let alone, time period. I am from the twenty-first century A.D, which is quite a bit further in the future from this current time. I am a writer who was tasked to write a fictional story, but I have had severe trouble doing so. However, my neighbor recently told me that he invented a time machine, and he wanted me to be the first person to use it who wasn't himself. The main reason I came here was to find inspiration for the story, which just so happened to be found in you guys: _The Great Unusual Herd. _When you guys asked me about my origins, I didn't think you guys would believe me when I told you I was from the future. That's why I lied to you. I didn't want to cause any friction between us till my expedition ends in about an hour."

"Well you sure did a great job of that," Manny said sarcastically. "You lied to us once, how do we know that story wasn't just another fictional tale you made up?"

I thought for a moment. There was no way I could prove that I was telling the truth. Somehow, they just had to believe me. With Soto on the prowl, I couldn't risk being by myself again.

"You don't," I said in a sigh of defeat, "I realize it is a hard story to believe, let alone that it is coming from me. Somehow, I will make this up to you guys, but I need your protection till I have to go back to my time period in less than one hour."

"And then what?" Manny said angrily. "You run back like a coward to the safety of your time while we are left defenceless to Soto's pack? That sounds like the normal selfishness of a human."

"Manny!" Ellie cried.

"Don't you 'Manny' me," Manny shouted. "If it wasn't for this idiot, we would be out of this deathtrap of a valley by now. Instead, we lost valuable time waiting for Henry to regain consciousness. Soto is probably on his way to kill us right now and we don't have enough time to escape."

Everybody seemed taken back by Manny's outburst. However, nobody seemed to disagree with him. He only said what everyone else was probably thinking.

This entire situation looked bleak for everyone, and my actions made it that much worse. If I would have just stayed inside the cave yesterday, I wouldn't have been attacked, and we may have been able to make our escape.

On the bright side, I just have to survive in the Ice Age for only about an hour and I am home-free. I should be happy about the fact that I have a brilliant story that could turn my career around, but I can't shake the feeling that I may have indirectly killed the herd by causing them to wait on my recovery. I suppose time will tell if any of us make it out of here alive for it to matter.

"I'm sorry," I finally spoke, breaking everyone from their thoughts. "I had no intentions of coming here and bringing harm to any of you."

"Well, you certainly did, genius," Manny said coldly. He then turned to everyone else and said with sorrow in his voice, "Soto could be here any minute. I say we go ahead and at least head towards the exit of the valley. At least they will have more trouble cornering us out in the open than here in the cave. Let's go."

Without any other words spoken, everyone got up slowly from where they were and headed toward the opening of the cave. Not even Sid was not his normal, perky self; the whole herd seemed to walk in the dead silence. Very carefully, I got up from my resting place and started to walk. I felt like I was half dead from my injury, but I knew I would completely be if I didn't start walking.

As we walked in numbing silence, I could only pray that Soto's pack wouldn't catch us before I left. This entire situation was such a mess. I kept telling myself that I saved Diego's life, so my actions that would cause his and the herds doom would be justified. However, I knew that I was just lying to myself. No matter how I looked at it, my actions up to this point have caused their inevitable death. There is no way that they stand a chance against the 20+ sabers that were in Soto's pack, even if the herd consisted of three mammoths. If they were out of this valley, the pack would have lost their scent when they crossed over the river, but they would never make it there in time since they lost over a day's travel time waiting on my recovery.

Nobody would make eye contact with me, even Diego wouldn't. At first, I was mad at him since I saved his life, but after some thought, I figured out why he resented me so much: _I indirectly killed his family. Even though I saved his life, his whole family will die because of me._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As we passed by the mouth of a large cave, my watch's alarm went off signifying that I had two minutes left before I was transported to the present. Everyone stopped and turned to me with contempt in their eyes.

"So this is it, huh?" Diego said.

"I suppose so," I murmured.

The next thing I heard was a rustling in the bushes behind us. All of us knew who the mystery animal was, so we just waited for it to show itself.

As the large saber walked out of its hiding place, I could see at least twenty sabres immediately surround the herd. The pack seemed very strong and, more importantly, very hungry. As we surveyed our current predicament, Soto spoke up:

"Nowhere to run now human. Nobody can save you this time. You are completely surrounded. After I sink my teeth into your flesh, my pack will dine on you and your little herd's corpses." He then turned to Diego with a prideful grin on his face. "Except for you, Diego. You will receive the great honour of watching your family be torn apart by your former pack while being able to do nothing to prevent it."

Diego let out a fierce roar at Soto's threat. "You won't get near them if I have anything to do about it!" He shouted as he lunged at the audacious tiger. However, he was pinned down long before he reached Soto. Diego futilely fought under the weight of the two larger sabres on top of him. After a few seconds of struggling in vain, Diego gave up, laying in fear of what would happen to his beloved family.

"Now that the coward has been taken care of," Soto said with confidence, "I say we first kill the human whose kind killed half our pack so many years ago!" The whole pack roared in agreement. "We were defeated by the terrible humans when they destroyed half of our numbers and wore their skins as trophies to keep their own useless hides warm" This earned another outcry from the sabres as they cheered their leader on.

I glanced down at my watch: _Sixty more seconds. _If I could just survive till then, I would be home free.

"Mankind has troubled this pack for too long. I say we slaughter this human to get our revenge for our brothers who shed their blood by the hand of man!" Once again the sabres roared in accordance.

_Fifty seconds…_

Soto then turned to me as the roars of the others quieted down. "You will pay for defying me, human. Let this be a sign to all of your kind that Soto's pack is not to be taken lightly. Any last words, human?"

_Forty seconds…_

I glanced at the herd as they looked to me with the same amount of fear I must had been expressing. I saw Manny and Ellie holding their daughter as closely as they could. Ellie had tears flowing down her face as Peaches sobbed into her father's shoulder. "It will be okay, Peaches," I heard Manny whisper, "I'm not sure how, but it will be okay."

_Thirty seconds…_

Crash and Eddie was holding each other, crying their eyes out. The sight might have been comical if it wasn't for the context that it was in.

_Twenty seconds…_

Sid was hiding behind a rock as two sabres chuckled maniacally the two slowly approached him from behind.

_Fifteen seconds…_

I finally cast my gaze over to Diego whose eyes also met mine. Without any words spoken, I knew what he wanted to say to me: _How could you do this to us?_

_ Ten seconds…_

I slowly mouthed the words, _I'm sorry, _which was really directed to all of the herd.

_Five seconds…_

That was when the idea that could save the herd came to my mind. Why had I not come up with this idea before now? Still, it was a long shot, but I guess it was worth a shot. The herd deserved at least a chance to make it out of this alive.

_Four…_

"Yes, I do, Soto." I finally said.

_Three..._

"Sometimes, to go forward, you have to go back."

_Two…_

Soto had a confused look on his face, but quickly brushed it off, saying, "Foolish final words, human. I suppose it won't matter anyway. Prepare to die."

_One…_

Just as Soto lunged at me, I was surrounded by a bright light, blinding me of all my senses.

**-End of Chapter Seven**

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay since my last update. With school and having a part time job, finding time to write is somewhat difficult. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take near as long to finish.**

**So what did you guys think? Like the cliffhanger? I'd love to know what you think, so please review!**

**See you in Chapter 8!**


End file.
